In the field of automotive body panels, a significant weight saving can be achieved by replacing current metallic automotive body panels with composite materials. With lower cost tooling, significant savings can be made in lower volume production runs.
High performance body panel parts are required to have the combination of lightness and strength, in particular stiffness. The panel member may have a low weight and high stiffness but may require further properties such as impact resistance and resistance to deformation, such as warping, as result of being subjected to elevated temperatures or temperature changes, and mechanical deformation. The panel member may also be required to have a high quality smooth surface, known in the art as an A-class finish, on at least one major surface, for example a front surface of an automotive body panel, which is ready for painting to provide a high quality painted surface.